Teacher guide · 3 min read

How to Help Students Learn Their Times Tables

Fast, confident multiplication facts free students' attention for the harder parts of math. The good news: it doesn't take long drills. A sensible order, a few strategies and five minutes of daily practice get most students there.

By the Bellkit team · Updated November 3, 2026

Understand first, then memorize

Before memorizing, students should understand what multiplication means: equal groups, arrays, repeated addition. A student who knows that 4 × 6 is "four groups of six" can work out a forgotten fact; a student who only memorized it is stuck.

Use objects, drawings and arrays at first. Once students can explain what a fact means, they're ready to practice it until it's automatic.

Teach the tables in a helpful order

1. ×1 and ×10: the easiest patterns, and a confidence boost.
2. ×2: doubles, which most students already know.
3. ×5: half of ×10, with the 0-and-5 pattern.
4. ×3 and ×4: ×4 is double ×2 (double, then double again).
5. ×9: the finger trick, and the digits always add up to 9.
6. ×6: double ×3, or ×5 plus one more group.
7. ×8: double ×4 (double, double, double).
8. ×7: by now, students already know most of the 7s from other tables.

Strategies for the hard facts

• Use a neighbor fact. Don't know 7 × 8? 7 × 7 is 49, add one more 7: 56.
• Split it up. 6 × 8 = 5 × 8 + 1 × 8 = 40 + 8 = 48.
• Double and halve. 4 × 7 is the same as 2 × 14.
• Rhymes and stories for the stubborn ones: "5, 6, 7, 8: 56 is 7 × 8".

Five minutes a day beats an hour a week

Short daily practice works far better than long sessions. A quick warm-up at the start of math, five or ten facts, keeps the tables fresh without eating your lesson.

• Focus on two or three tables at a time. Mix in a few from earlier ones for review.
• Time it, but against yourself. Students try to beat their own time, never each other's.
• Track progress. A student who sees their time drop from 3 minutes to 90 seconds stays motivated.
• Mix the order. Reciting 1 × 7, 2 × 7, 3 × 7 in order is counting, not knowing. Practice facts out of order.

Games for multiplication practice

1. Roll and multiply. Roll two dice and multiply. Pairs take turns; the higher product scores a point.
2. Multiplication war. Each player flips two cards and multiplies; the highest product wins the cards.
3. Multiplication bingo. Call "6 × 7" and students find 42 on their card. See multiplication bingo.
4. Around the world. Two students race to answer a fact; the winner moves to the next desk.
5. Fact of the day. One tricky fact on the board all day. Anyone can be asked it at any moment.

Supporting students who struggle

When students are ready for more, the math worksheet generator mixes multiplication with division, so they practice the facts both ways.

• Go back to arrays and drawings. Understanding often fixes memory.
• Give them a times table grid while they practice. Using it repeatedly helps them learn the facts.
• Celebrate small wins. Learning just the 2s, 5s and 10s covers a big part of the grid.
• Avoid public timed races. Anxiety makes recall harder. Timed practice should be private and personal.